Mentorship

Just keep forging, and don't waste too much time on one map.

 

I don't really have the ability to get online and talk very often. I'd definitely be willing to discuss things on here though. Are there some particular things you want guidance on? Also, it would be good if you have a map/s that can be used as a reference point (whether it's yours or another forgers). A lot of times it's virtually impossible to give guidance without some context, since 99% of it is situational. Having a concrete example to refer to helps because I can explain the pros and cons of various things within that established context.

If you don't feel comfortable having discussions publicly on this thread, feel free to PM me.

 

Well considering that Chunk was basically my mentor when I started forging, you just have to ask yourself one thing.

Do you want to become the new Mel Gibson of forge?

 

A few good pieces of work followed by a mental breakdown and then disappear only to pop up in random references?

 

This is some great advice. I would add that you should still finish maps, but a big part of learning how to forge is being able to realize that something is done and can be shared with others. You can ALWAYS make something more perfect, and one day you might be good enough that your 200th hour of polish is what will take your map to the top of what the community can do. When you're starting out though, that 200th hour of polish would have been better spent starting on a new map that makes new and different mistakes because you'll learn a lot more from making those mistakes than you would from front-paging something.

 

I'd rather become the new Adam Sandler of forge

 

Pauly Shore of Forge

 

I think what's best varies greatly according to the individual. I usually feel it's best to break people out of their comfort zone, because that's when growth happens.

For someone that spends hundreds of hours on a map, I'd push them to move on to another project, or to work on multiple projects simultaneously. For someone who starts a new map (or two) every day, I think they'd benefit from seeing a map through to completion.

Ultimately how many or how few maps a person works on isn't very important. What's important is that a person is continuously learning. The best forgers are those that question everything, experiment constantly, and have the ability to look at their work objectively.

 

I'm sad that you didn't say "and one more good map at the end"

And I definitely didn't have a mental breakdown, I promise.

 

It's possible to point out things like excessive cover, an absence of elevation changes, the fact that Overshield and Rockets shouldn't spawn directly next to each other, and other somewhat obvious things from looking at screenshots. I wouldn't worry about posting them unless you're looking for advice on art though.

If anyone is going to offer useful design advice, it would need to be based upon an entire map. It's not really possible to give advice on a section of a map without understanding it's place and purpose within the entire map.

I've bookmarked a couple of your maps. I'll try to find some time to take a quick walk through them tonight and see if anything jumps out at me.

Is there something in particular that you feel like you struggle with, or are you just looking for advice on anything and everything?

 

You need to donate some sperm if you aren't going to have any kids.

 

Also there's this one http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?25930

 

"Young Forger" lol.

But seriously, what I recommend if you're looking to learn to forge better is two things -
1. If you want to learn to make cool aesthetics, practice, practice, practice. Take your source idea / image and just try to make something like that in Forge. Don't get too ambitious either - start off simple, and get more complex as you go. Same principle of practice goes for honestly anything.
2. If you're looking to learn good layout design, take some time and learn the basics of level design. There's a variety of free courses online, just take some time to find them, and then practice. As a matter of fact, we'll be posting Design Articles soon on that.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

I took a look at several of your maps/files. You're forging skills are definitely farther along than your design skills, but that's good because my forging skills are mediocre in this game, and I wouldn't really have much good advice in that area.

The good news is that your designs resemble most people's designs when they first start, so you're right about where you should be for how much experience you have. I have one major piece of advice, and that is to work on incorporating height variation within each level. For the most part you've done a good job of creating multiple levels. In most of your files though, each level is mostly flat. What this means is that anytime you end up in a battle with someone who's on the same level as you, their elevation relative to you is not going to change unless one of you jumps or crouches mid battle. By adding in small height differences within each level (minimum of 4 feet), you're adding a lot of variety to gunfights, and subconsciously encouraging players to move towards higher ground. Whenever I get time, I can put together some examples of how to add minor height variances into a level on one of your files.

What kind of maps are you interested in building? From what I've seen, you seem to gravitate towards more campaign styled playspaces (spaces that are larger, with undulating terrain, and long, linear movement paths)? Is that primarily the type of map you feel drawn to, or are you interested in working on a wide variety of map styles? There's no right or wrong answer. I'm just curious because the design approach will vary somewhat according to the map style, and it wouldn't make sense to focus on design skills that may not apply to the types of maps you'd be building.

 

My problem isn't necessarily an inability to get online. It's being able to talk that's a problem. I get online when everyone is asleep. If I start talking, someone's likely to start screaming at me to shut the hell up, lol.

I'm not a good person to talk to about art/themes anyway. I understand the basics, but not enough to really mentor anyone in that part of the process (that's why I specialize in blockouts ). Hopefully someone with some skill and knowledge in that area will step up to the plate and help you out.

Since I don't think I've done so yet, I want to say that I've seen a ton of people who just want recognition, but don't want to put forth the effort to get better (maybe because they think they know it all already?). There aren't many people like yourself that take a real interest in learning about forge/level design, and make a real effort to continue improving. You have a great mindset, and I'm looking forward to seeing you grow as time goes on.